Inside Akyn, The Most Talked-About Brand In The Fashion Industry Right Now

I grew up off-grid on a farm in the north of England, which gave me a grounding of respect for the natural world. It also gave me a huge respect for key workers in supply chains, as my family and I worked on the local food produce farms. As a result, I was always passionate about responsible ways of working within the fashion industry, given its long history of social issues and, more recently, the enormous environmental impact with the growth of fast fashion and consumerism. So I have been on a journey throughout my career to reduce the impact fashion has on the planet and to prove that you can create something beautifully crafted without compromising on integrity and ethics.

Avid fashion fans might know me from my time at Mother of Pearl, where I spent the first 20 years of my career, with the last 10 as Creative Director. While there, I won the Vogue Fashion Fund and decided to use the money to create a fully sustainable collection from field to finished garment. That culminated in ‘No Frills’ and the launch of a documentary, which followed this sustainable journey called Fashion Reimagined.

But, at the start of this year, I stepped down from Mother of Pearl to launch my own label AKYN. I had turned 40 and had two small children along the way, so the timing felt right to take everything I had learned, all the good things and also the failures, and pour that into a new brand to make a deeper and more impactful change. Now I have complete creative control, starting from scratch and building something from the roots up, which is liberating.

My aim is for AKYN to be a beacon of hope, a brand full of rich storytelling and craft that makes women feel good while also advocating for what is possible within the industry. It offers a glimpse of what fashion could look like, working in harmony with people and planet while still looking and feeling good.

It is rooted in integrity and elevated in detail, focusing on impeccable craftsmanship, considered fabrics (we only use four natural fibres) and an effortlessly refined aesthetic. Our ethics are woven into everything we create, with traceability as part of our DNA. I want to prove that if we can do this on a small scale, anyone can do it.

But I have found out the hard way, particularly when talking about the ethical side of fashion, that shouting about it and lecturing people does not work. Instead, we rely on storytelling, and that is one of the reasons AKYN is named as such.

The ‘A’ represents the atelier; it speaks to the artistry and meticulous attention to detail and represents a space where creativity meets skill. ‘KYN’ represents ‘Kynfolk’, embodying the community and connection and reflecting our commitment to sustainability and shared values for people and the planet through conscious choices and thoughtful design. It’s the craftsmanship I want to celebrate first and foremost, in a way that is so transparent the customer does not need to question the ethics or worry about it. That is a triumph in my mind.

Although, all of this is not easy. You have to have time and dedication and an unwavering commitment to making the right choices. Every decision I make throughout the business is put through this lens: if it causes damage to people or the planet, we will not do it. Take our fabrics as a prime example. We focus on regenerative, natural and botanic fibres such as organic or regenerative cotton, responsible wool, European flax and botanically sourced lyocell. Our goal is for 100% of our garment outers to be crafted from natural fibres that restore rather than deplete.

Because of this, some may call us a ‘clean fashion’ brand. Although, like sustainability, this is a nuanced term and could quickly be taken advantage of. Yes, we should all be using more natural fibres and natural dyes, but the manufacturing process behind these things needs to be considered too. Agriculture, supply chains and end of life need to be taken into account. Are we growing clean fibres in an organic and regenerative way? Are we using minimal water and recycled closed-loop systems? Are workers within the supply chain being paid correctly and working in good conditions? There are so many parts of the chain to consider. It cannot simply become another greenwashing stamp.

We want to continue to push the boundaries and spark interesting and meaningful conversations. Our Conversation Start collection, which launched recently, is a subtle yet thought-provoking range of jumpers and embroidered organic cotton slogan T-shirts designed to make a quiet statement while inspiring questions about the subjects that matter to us most and plant seeds of change.

Most importantly, we are always learning. We are a work in progress, not perfection. Our ambition is to be the most responsible and traceable brand, affirmed through certification and authentic storytelling, where desirable products meet verified green claims. Every piece we craft is aligned with our belief that we can create and care for the Earth. But we still have work to do. We are pending B Corp at the moment, so we will become officially certified next year, which is exciting. We will also be launching our pre-SS and mainline SS collections soon, which will only be collections 003 and 004, so we are still in our infancy as a brand, but customers can expect the design to continue to elevate and the subtle details to evolve.

The pieces are not loud or aggressive. They are soft, hopeful and made to be worn with pride, like a badge of quiet defiance or powerful optimism. The kind that makes someone lean in and ask, "What does that mean?" Each piece tells a story, holds an idea and offers a space for dialogue. That is where change can begin.